The Death of Dusk
by flowerslut
Summary: For someone to abandon all sense of reason for another's word was a ridiculous thing. And maybe this was just another one of Jasper's selfish desires: for Alice to trust him. With the way she was staring sadly, her sorrow flowing freely and causing his own chest to feel hollow, he wanted the empty hopelessness that plagued her to simply leave. Companion to Call of the Night.
1. Chapter 1

_"Alice." And suddenly the only thing that mattered was that she believe him. Not the vision. Not her instincts. Him._

_For another person to abandon all sense of reason and believe in simply your word was a ridiculous thing. Jasper especially knew how untrustworthy people were. And maybe this was just another one of his selfish desires: for Alice to trust him. But with the way she was staring sadly, her sorrow flowing freely and causing his own chest to feel hollow, he wanted the empty hopelessness that plagued her to simply leave. To go away and never return._

_"I just want you to know that I will never, ever hurt you," he promised her, and as he spoke he only hoped she knew how much he meant those words. Stepping closer to her, he had to fight the itching urge to reach out toward her. "I promise you."_

_Alice nodded, and his chest ached._

* * *

**A/N:** Before you begin: Call of the Night has been nominated for a Twilight Fanfiction Award over at ! I'm very excited about this given the fact that in the dozen or so years I've been writing and publishing fan fiction online I've never been nominated for a damn thing.

I'm currently nominated for "Top Completed Fanfiction of March 2019" among a bunch of other stories. I believe this is the only Alice x Jasper story currently nominated, and as far as I looked in their archive, in the past year no Alice x Jasper stories have won (typically Bella x Edward stories take the top spot) so I figured it would be cool as shit to win this. So c'mon Jalice stans!

If you vote, be sure to leave me a review, telling me. You can vote once per day until the end of the month.

IF—and only IF—I win the top spot, I will do what I swore to not do until the story is finished, and I will post the first chapter of Call of the Night's sequel for you all; yes, many, many months early. You hear me. If you guys vote once a day this month and get me that pointless award then I'll not only give you CotN's sequel's TITLE next month, but also the entirety of chapter one.

In the meantime, enjoy.

* * *

THE DEATH OF DUSK

Pushing his legs harder he allowed the terrain to lead the way, following along a stream for a good while before vaulting himself up come cliffs that were just slightly off-path. The wind blowing his hair around his face was refreshing; the first taste of freedom he'd had in what felt like weeks.

Landing on the cliffside path with a bit too much force than necessary, he slowed his pace. He followed the path for about a mile before letting his pace slow down to a human-speed run.

He'd finished hunting an hour before and was relishing in the feeling of being fully sated.

Well, as sated as one could be on a diet of strictly animal blood. He'd always preferred hunting to the slaughter-house farmed stuff they stocked their freezers with. And maybe it was the thrill of the hunt that made him prefer it. Taste-wise there wasn't too grand of a difference. Animal blood all tasted unremarkably similar to him. Decades of this diet still hadn't given him the palate that his coworkers had.

Even now, Edward was leading the way up north toward his favorite hunting grounds, just a few hundred miles into Quebecois territory. The boy certainly had his preferences, and with hunting season in the northern territories resuming today, he'd been downright excitement.

And Jasper had to admit, the emotion radiating from the seventeen-year old had been fairly contagious.

He could still feel Edward, about half a mile ahead of him, having grown used to his particular 'aura' over the decades of residing under the same roof. It was easiest to be around Edward during two instances: while hunting or with Bella present.

Every other moment, the kid was almost intolerable.

The tick of annoyance he felt dissipated fairly quickly. He almost laughed. It seemed he was still within Edward's range, too. But quickly Jasper could feel the irritation ebb. It was likely Edward had caught onto a scent worth pursuing, although they were still several hundred miles south of what was intended to be their destination.

But Jasper was fed, so he didn't care too much if Edward hunted now as opposed to in an hour or so. Sure, it was always nice to escape the house and run wild (so to speak) through some hunting grounds, but he was full, and he had a whole slew of work waiting on his desk for him back at the house.

A memory of a red flash of eyes caused him to physically shake his head. Nope. He was in a relatively good mood today. He wasn't going to ruin it by thinking about the past.

Not yet, at least.

Still, the contentment would certainly end once he got home and had to read her name on another file. It was all still wild speculation at this point, no evidence to back up any claims or suspicions. Every few years they would go through sometime similar to this.

Maria was dead. So it couldn't be her that was stomping around Mexico, causing a bit of a fright. An illegal newborn, most likely. But not Maria.

Still, Jasper wondered when the mention of her name would stop stinging.

So caught up in his thoughts he barely noticed that he'd almost caught up to Edward until the boy's severe anxiety smacked against him, erasing every thought of Maria in an instant.

_What's wrong?_ He called out in his head as he pinpointed his ally's location and sprinted forward. _Edward, what's going on?_

"Alright, alright," he could hear him speaking quietly to someone, likely over the phone, "no, we're turning back now. I'll feed when—" Jasper could barely hear what sounded like Bella's voice cut Edward off from the other end of the receiver. As he finally got him in his sights, Edward sighed, turning his head to meet Jasper's gaze as he approached.

"Okay," Edward cut off Bella's complaint, "I'll feed on the way home. We'll be back in a couple hours."

"_Okay," _Bella spoke on the other end, sounding more satisfied, "_I'll see you when you get back. Brace Jasper for me. I doubt he has his phone on him._"

Jasper tensed at that. Edward rolled his eyes and met Jasper's. "He's right here. But fine."

"_Love you!" _Jasper could hear her grin in her voice. And then suddenly the line was cut, and he and Edward were alone.

They knew Carlisle had left to go somewhere late the night before, but they hadn't been given any information. As Protectors, they travelled a lot. It's not as if it made sense to realistically keep tabs on everyone. Them all being home together this past week had been a freak alignment of schedules. It barely ever happened.

So had there been an emergency and now they were being called back for an assignment?

It was a few seconds before either of them spoke.

"Brace me for what?" Jasper watched warily as Edward pocketed his phone and sighed. Sensing his sudden apprehension, frustration, and acute anxiety, his mind suddenly went to dark places.

Was it Maria? The one ghost from his past that could die in the physical sense, but never stop haunting him? There'd been a lot of commotion and speculation regarding Beatriz and Manuel's disappearance after they'd gone to look for Antonio a couple of weeks ago. An update on that situation, maybe? Had something happened to Esme? She had left early that morning to go somewhere—

"Esme's fine," Edward quickly assured him. "Everyone is fine. And," he paused, "nothing is wrong, per se, but uh," and then he shuffled on his feet a bit, looking every bit the nervous seventeen year old he was. "We're getting a new roommate."

Jasper stared blankly. "Are you serious?"

"There's a new Protector, apparently." He lifted a hand before letting it unceremoniously hit his thigh. "That's where Carlisle's been. They'll probably be back before we are."

"He just left last night." Jasper spoke dumbly, feeling a bit odd about the news. It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about this exact scenario as a valid possibility over the years. With the rate that the population had grown since he'd joined, he should have been more shocked that it had taken so long to add to their numbers. "That was quick."

"Well, whoever she is, she seems to be eager." Jasper was thankful that Edward's displeasure at the situation was beginning to show, in both feelings as well as words. He didn't want to be the only one apprehensive about this situation, and Bella sounded far too casual over the phone about it all.

He was sure Rose's emotions would likely mirror Edward's, and although he felt some validation in knowing that he also was now dreading the emotional climate he'd be returning to. Especially with a new person to get acclimated to.

He almost groaned as he thought about it. No doubt it was likely it would be someone who already hated him. His best bet was that it would be a container of some rank. Maybe someone he's worked with in a Containment Center.

He'd prefer mandatory respect out of bone-crushing hatred or fear any day.

Maybe whoever it was would take a liking to Emmett. Granted, most people did. But if anyone could get someone to relax around Jasper, he could.

Regardless, he elected to at least try and give this person a chance. It wasn't like he had any other option.

"If this woman went with Carlisle that quickly I'm sure she knows what she's getting into," Edward tried to assure dismissively. But still, Jasper could feel the apprehension. While those who didn't understand the job fully tended to glamorize and even covet it, those who did understand and yearn for such a position were never the type of person who should exactly be placed in it.

After a hundred and fifty or so years of immortality, Jasper knew that those who wanted power already didn't deserve it. It's one of the reasons he grew to admire Carlisle and Esme.

"Well," Jasper gestured vaguely back the way they'd come, "lead the way."

The trip back was tense. Quieter than the trip up, and he and Edward had never really been the 'chat while running' type.

Thankfully Edward didn't comment on any of Jasper's wild thoughts. And although he'd like to honestly claim he was unfazed by the revelation and that he could keep his wits about him, he was downright unprepared for what lay ahead of him. He was just hoping that whoever this woman was, she had a decent head on her shoulders.

It would also help if resentment wasn't the first thing he felt out of her. But only time would tell. And it wouldn't take much time at all.

It was late when they got back. Only a couple hours beyond midnight. As they approached the house Jasper could feel it buzzing with electrifying emotions. Excitement, apprehension, amusement, and a spark of potent curiosity and anxiety that Jasper couldn't pinpoint from anyone he knew.

Must've been the newbie. Sharp feelings, but appropriate ones, given the situation. It _was_ a rather quick recruitment. But if this woman was anything like he had been, the decision to agree was probably a no-brainer.

It wasn't every day you were tasked with being a chosen representative of your kind. It had been a get-out-of-jail-free card for him, but in the most literal sense.

Jasper knew better than anyone that when a job offer was extended to you that would save your life, it would be idiotic to ignore it. Like tossing a fire extinguisher away when faced with a fire.

Gossip wasn't exactly anything he paid attention to, but he was sure Bella would fill him in on the woman if he came off as curious enough. He probably wouldn't even need to ask. Bella wasn't nosy, but people tended to gravitate toward and lean on her a bit, emotionally speaking. He was certain this woman likely wouldn't be an exception.

"Room next to yours," Edward observed wryly as they approached the house. About an hour ago he'd vocalized whether the new girl would get the room next to Jasper or him and Bella. "Looks like you drew the short end of the straw."

Jasper just ignored the prod, instead following him closely but silently through the back doors of the house. Emmett didn't even turn his head away from the television when he spoke up.

"New kid's upstairs. Tiny thing. Name's Alice. She's nice. You're boxed in now Jasper. Sorry man."

He rolled his eyes as he continued walking. "Thanks."

Truthfully he didn't care that he was 'boxed in' by people inhabiting the rooms on either side of his. He hardly used his anyways. Not outside of simply having a place to store his meager belongings. He'd learned early in his second life that material possessions hardly mattered. If everything in his room disappeared without a trace one day he wouldn't even bat an eye.

_That_ wasn't a fact that would ever be vocalized—it would likely only give Emmett bad ideas.

Speaking of belongings, he sighed mentally as he made his way toward his room, remembering that his laundry was quite overdue, and that he only had an outfit or two left before he was entirely out of clean clothes to wear.

That was probably the only downside to hunting: smelling like a wild animal afterward.

He showered quickly. As he scrubbed his hair he focused on the presences in the house. Carlisle was in his office, all relief and curiosity, with Esme close by, full of happiness and excitement. Emmett was still watching some mind-rotting reality show in the den, his emotions fluctuating with whatever he was seeing on the screen, and Rosalie was in the library, most likely working if her boredom or frustration were a tell.

Edward was in his room too, amusement stifling the apprehension that had been so potent when they'd arrived home. He couldn't help from wondering why.

He could feel how hard Bella was concentrating on being friendly and open as she led the new girl, Alice, around the house. Showing her around, he assumed. He found himself wondering if she'd volunteered to give the girl a tour, even though he knew she would've rather passed the job off to someone else. Too nice for her own good, even now.

He kept a keen watch over everyone's presence in the house as he dried and dressed himself, still keeping tabs on everyone's emotional state as he gathered his laundry and headed toward the laundry room.

Bella had returned to her room and left the girl to her own devices. The girl was currently peering in and out of the wing of the house that had more empty rooms than filled, wonder and amazement pulsing out of her with each space she took note of.

He had just finished loading the laundry machine and starting it when he felt her turn down the hallway he was on, and stopped.

It was silly, really, to hesitate in any of his movements just because some new vampire had moved in with the intent of joining them. He'd been living in this house for decades. Why should he feel apprehensive about walking around casually?

After mulling it over for two seconds, he shook his head and grabbed his empty laundry basket. He would just walk out, introduce himself, and be on his way. It would be a polite exchange. Most likely tense. Worst-case scenario he'd feel her hatred or revulsion. That was fine. He could deal with that. Nothing this girl could throw at him could be worse than his early years amongst the Protectors.

He could handle this.

Opening the door swiftly, he casually stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him, knowing that her eyes were now on him.

No sooner that the door had closed behind him when he felt it. So strong that it felt like a sharp slap across the face. As his head turned toward her only to watch as she physically stumbled back, he realized with dread that the emotion she was propelling in harsh, wild waves wasn't just fear.

But complete, absolute terror.

It was a feeling he'd grown unaccustomed to after decades of peace and compliance. And after all these years, it stung. Almost in a physical way, shocking him fully into simply staring at the girl in front of him.

She _was_ tiny, he realized immediately. Emmett really hadn't been exaggerating. Her wide, fearful eyes traced over him rapidly, but Jasper wasn't a fool. He knew what she was looking at.

He hardly noticed how people's eyes stared at or lingered on his scars anymore. Even before he'd returned to society it was the first thing any vampire he met noticed. A lifetime ago they were a warning; he used to be glad they struck fear in those he came across. Then, he'd grown tired of the reaction. Hating it.

Nowadays he knew there was nothing that could be done about it. And he'd been forced to deal with it.

He hadn't received a reaction this severe since the early 70s. And _damnit_, he was so caught off guard by the severity of her fear that it _hurt_.

In more ways than he'd admit.

It wasn't until she met his eyes that something odd happened.

One second she was looking right at him, as if perceiving everything he was and everything he had been all in an instant, and in the next second she was almost… absent. Her eyes glossed over and lost focus, her fear stuttered and twisted, as if suddenly she was reacting to something he was unaware of. There was a twinge of familiarity there, and for a quick second Jasper struggled as he studied her face.

He didn't know this girl, did he?

Her hair was short and dark, as if it had just started growing out from a buzzcut when she was changed. She had fine, tiny features, her wide, terrified eyes staring unblinking as her mouth was caught in an 'o' shape. He didn't recognize her, and didn't think he would've recognized her as a human, either. So no one he'd met in his past, most likely.

Perhaps she was just from one of the more radical groups in the country. Well, it was unfair to call them radical, politically at least. After all, if he'd been killed back in the 60s it would've been entirely justified. If she just so happened to be of the mindset that he was still unfit for duty, he couldn't exactly vilify her for that.

But he did note that he would need to tread very, very carefully. After all, she'd agreed to this job, knowing his presence here. That would mean nothing but trouble for him.

Shit. This was turning out to be be a lot worse than he'd anticipated. He knew he was getting ahead of himself, but his analytical mind was mapping out every possible outcome for this conversation, analyzing everything he could surmise from this girl who was downright terrified of him.

It took barely two seconds before her attention returned to her in another gasp of air; he feared she would topple over as she regained her focus, lifting a hand up toward her, hardly sure of what to do if he saw a vampire literally faint. He needed to neutralize the situation, and fast.

"Are—" he spoke and stopped quickly, quieting his voice. He needed to tread carefully. "Are you okay?" Very slowly, and very cautiously, he took one step forward. It gave her plenty of time to react accordingly. And when a low growl erupted from the pit of her chest, he stopped.

It had been a while since he'd heard something like that.

Refreshing, in a way he couldn't quite explain or control. It was easy to forget they were _vampires_ some days when he was hard at work. Everything was so civil, formal, and political that any reminder of their more natural instincts was seen as a sign of savagery. Oh, _that_ he had hated immeasurably when he'd begun this job.

But when the girl seized her throat, immediately shocked by the sound coming from her, he nearly winced. God, her emotions were _potent_.

"N—no," she spat the words out desperately, "I—please don't."

Despite the situation, he understood. Fear couldn't be controlled sometimes. Better to give her space than risk escalating the situation. Still, her eyes kept flickering in a way he couldn't fully describe. As if she were seeing or reading things he couldn't understand or see himself. Moving just barely but so quickly as her emotions pulsed in time, as if reaction to something unknown.

Suddenly and inexplicably, he was nervous she really would topple. Carlisle was the doctor in the house, but it almost looked like she was having some kind of strange human seizure.

Oh no. Had they acquired a vampire with _medical_ issues? That would be a trip.

"Alice, is it?" Trying to draw her attention back to him seemed like the best thing to do. Sure, she was afraid of him. That had been more than readily established in the past handful of seconds. But if she did collapse, the last thing he needed was for someone else to stumble upon the scene.

_I didn't incapacitate the new girl, I swear,_ he imagined himself having to explain, _she just keeled over. Honestly._

Yeah. That would go over _so_ well.

Lowering his arm he worked hard to keep his face passive. That was one thing he was good at, at least. Certainly helped in more stressful situations, like this one, for instance.

"My name is—"

"Jasper," she cut him off, her voice cracking as if choking back tears as she took another step backward until she was against the wall. "I—I know who you are."

Of course she did. There was no other explanation for this type of reaction. Her retort almost made him feel silly for even offering his name. It was only polite though, no matter who already knew of him.

The fear and panic that had risen up in her and reached a fever pitch. And as if he could hear it his head like a sharp ringing, the pain started suddenly, and seemingly without explanation. His only thought as he tried to reign in any reaction was that this was _not_ good.

Around his temples and behind his eyes, the pain was sharp and unrelenting. And the more her emotions crescendoed, the worse it felt. The need to press his palms against his eye sockets was almost overwhelming.

He didn't mean to take another step forward. Not exactly. But more than anything his body had always been trained to react. So, when he made to step towards her, it was more to try and get her attention than anything. He needed her to calm down and for some reason he couldn't bring it in himself to manipulate the calm into her. He couldn't focus enough for that.

By the time she'd yanked his leg upward, it had been too late to react properly.

So when he felt her blow by him, quicker than he would've expected her to be, it took him almost a full second to realize she'd knocked him to the ground.

He sat there for another few seconds, letting himself regain his concentration as the pain in his head lessened and his extra sense rebounded, finally within his ability.

Vaguely he heard some commotion taking place across the house. When Rosalie materialized in the hallway, looking like a bat out of hell, her words died on her tongue as she took in his position, sitting on the floor, hands braced behind him.

"What are you doing?" She asked bluntly, her attention quickly wavering as more commotion from the upper level caused both of their heads to turn upward. "What is going on?" Her words were like ice then as she started putting pieces together.

All he could think to say, in that moment was. "Alice took me off guard."

"Oh, no. _No_. This is not happening today." She strode by him angrily, and by the time he was on his feet she was already gone. He could hear her run toward the den, the source of the first bits of commotion, before he began to run after her.

He caught her just as she was making her way toward the stairs, a downright hellish look on her face.

Oh no. What had she seen?

"The bitch attacked Emmett," she growled angrily. Oh, no.

"I scared her," he explained as they flashed through the hallways. "Whatever is happening is my fault—"

When she shushed him, he didn't speak up again. Calming Rose's ire once her temper began to boil was never an easy task. Nor was it a wise one.

And he didn't exactly know why he was taking responsibility for whatever was going on currently. He hadn't intended on doing anything other than casually introducing himself. It wasn't his fault this girl was having a meltdown.

"Please," the sound of sobbing reached them as they flew up the stairs, and down the hall, "Please let me go. Please give it to me. I need to leave!" When he and Rosalie peered into the room he'd almost been expecting to see someone physically restraining her.

Her head shot toward the doorway with their arrival and she gasped again, her fear once more drilling through his head as he grimaced. Again, he studied her face, now openly sobbing, eyes frozen with fear, but still he found no recognition there. He didn't know this girl.

But that didn't mean she didn't know him.

"You—!"

"Not now, Rosalie." Edward immediately spoke overtop of Rose's furious call. "Alice," his words were loud, "we are not going to hurt you."

"She's mad! What the hell set this off?"

"It was me," he explained again, this time to Edward, the memory from several seconds ago playing through his head for the boy to see. When Rose took a step into the room, he moved with her, knowing that with the tensions high and still rising, this situation had the capacity to go from horrible to down right nasty. "I caught her off guard—"

"NO!" Alice screamed, backing up against the wall so hard it buckled behind her shoulders and back. Her eyes were stuck once more on his approaching presence and he froze. "Just let me go," she pleaded desperately, "_please_ let me go. Please, please—"

The instant her eyes met his the same thing from before happened: her eyes flickered, registering things beyond him, her emotions fluctuating rapidly. And when she returned back to attention, hardly two seconds later, sobbing in earnest, Edward's shout pulled everyone's gaze toward him.

"What was that?" He demanded. "What did you just…" he struggled for words, "what did you see? Jasper," The redhead turned toward him, regarding him with a look akin to horror. "What did you do?"

A cold feeling began to build up the back of Jasper's spine as he stared back at Edward's distraught gaze. Something told him that although he didn't recall Alice by face, it didn't mean he hadn't hurt her in his past.

Dread planted itself in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know what to say.

"I don't want to die," the girl cried pitifully. And as Jasper looked over at her again, he felt like a monster for the first time in a very, very long time. "Please don't kill me." She looked him in the eye as she begged for her life, her tiny frame beginning to curl in on herself. "Please, I don't want to die." She sobbed as she held his eyes with her own. "I'm sorry, I'm—I'm sorry!"

He hated how it wasn't the first time someone had begged him to spare their life. He hated even more the fact that it wasn't the hundredth or even the thousandth time. But it had been so long that hearing it again made his chest ache in an unfamiliar way.

_Don't say that_, he wanted to say, _that's not who I am anymore. It's _not_._

Jasper watched helplessly as the girl sank to the floor, "I don't want to die," her words were punctuated by a quiet cry. Pulling her legs toward her chest she wrapped her arms around them, the acceptance of the fate she was so certain awaited her made Jasper feel sick.

When Rosalie turned back and gave him a pointed look, he finally pulled himself back out of his thoughts. As he began to send a wave of calm outward, laying it on thick, he knew he had to extinguish his own guilt now. It would do him no good to jump to any conclusions, like this new girl had. And if he couldn't look at the situation more objectively, despite apparently being directly involved in it, he didn't know how he'd figure out a resolution.

The girl didn't react when Bella and Edward slowly approached, keeping her head down and pressed against her knees. And Jasper almost spoke up and told Bella to _wait_. Touching the girl could cause her to panic more and react negatively.

Again.

But Edward was right by her side. Perhaps keeping his attention solely on Alice's mind in order to prevent any further… incidents…

Still, he frowned as he watched Bella attach some sort of bracelet to the girl's wrist. When she finally reacted, holding her arm close to her chest, cradling the bracelet like a security blanket, her head shot up.

It was much easier to be around now that he was actively keeping her calm. The pressure in his head had lessened severely, almost gone entirely as he focused on keeping the peace.

"We aren't going to hurt you," Bella was sad, trying to offer some peace of mind. But underneath all the inflicted calm, he could still feel the girls confidence in her own emotions and reactions.

"He will," Alice spoke calmly, her words only more chilling as even as they were. "Jasper will."

The confidence almost made his hold on his own inner peace waver. But she was so certain in her own words that when the twinge of self-doubt crept up on him, he immediately felt nothing but disdain for this tiny girl and her sudden appearance in his life.

"No, he won't." He didn't understand how Bella could be so dismissive. This was an accusation. One of what was essentially _treason_. But still, Bella was calm with her assurance. Her unflinching trust in him was reminded him, and not for the first time, that he was among his allies here.

They called them his friends, but even after the years he spent here he hesitated with the word.

"You don't understand, I—I know it." Alice insisted, voice still calm, resolute. "I saw it. It'll happen."

"Premonitions," Edward was taken aback, his eyes wide with shock.

This was absolutely, ridiculously maddening.

"You're fucking kidding me," Rosalie's glare held as much ire as her words did. "This is insane—"

"What on Earth is happening?" Carlisle finally arrived on the scene, his voice raised only slightly but for Carlisle, it was as if he'd shouted the words. Right behind him was Esme, and trailing after her was Emmett. His shirt was torn down the middle. Jasper wondered if that was Alice's fault—but Emmett looked downright confused as opposed to accosted. It would explain Rose's further fury after leaving him behind in the hallway.

He would never admit it outloud, but as Esme rushed to the girl's side, Jasper felt an acute sense of betrayal. Very quickly he stifled the heavy feeling, knowing that she was just reacting to the sight of an upset girl, and not taking sides. "Oh, sweet girl." Still, watching her comfort the new recruit left him feeling… off.

"I don't know!" Rosalie was the only one who responded to Carlisle's inquiry. Esme and Bella were busied with comforting Alice, Edward was simply staring at the short-haired girl, as if in shock, running his hands through his hair as if he might begin to pull it out at the roots. "Jasper set Alice off and the next thing you know, Emmett's in the den with his shirt ripped and this one is having a meltdown!" Rosalie was fuming, glaring between the girl and Emmett's ripped shirt, and Emmett himself looked dumbfounded.

But Jasper was still stuck on the fact that Alice hadn't responded to Edward's observation. If this girl had _premonitions_ of all things, then they were really in for a wild ride.

"Visions," he spoke up, attracting the attention of half the people in the room, "you have visions, don't you?"

And with the fear that pulsed through her, despite all of his radiating calm, he knew that they'd hit the nail on the head. Jasper hated the slight relief that surged through him at that. If she didn't know him because of her past, that at least lifted some small amount of guilt off of him. That meant he hadn't hurt her at some point years ago.

_He will._ But Alice's confident words were fresh in his mind, burning themselves into his psyche.

"Yes," Edward chimed in after a few tense seconds. He was still staring intently at the girl, and not for the first time Jasper found himself wondering what the boy was seeing in her head. "I do," he spoke again, this time only to Alice. He knelt down beside Bella, directly in front of the girl. "I have a gift, just like you do."

Jasper could feel the stress levels rise in the room instantaneously. And even he was shocked. Never before in all the years that he'd known Edward, had he heard the boy confirm it outloud to someone. And to do so so soon after meeting someone?

The only reason he'd known about Edward's mind-reading ability was because it was a part of the intel Maria had received after spending several years as a Protector down in Monterrey.

Alice tapped her head with a knuckle, and when Edward nodded, their silent conversation continued.

No one chimed in.

"Yes," he eventually spoke out loud, glancing at Bella, "with exceptions."

When Alice smiled then he _really_ wanted to know what the hell they'd been discussing. "Must be frustrating," she finally spoke quietly. They were the first words Jasper had heard out of her that weren't dripping with terror. Her voice was still high, but she sounded older than he expected from her. Especially after all the sobbing and crying she'd just done over the past few minutes.

And to think just five minutes ago he was running laundry. The hair along the back of his neck was barely still damp from his shower.

"You have no idea," Edward offered a small smile back, but even Jasper could tell the boy was agonizing over _something_. Whatever he'd seen in the girl's head, certainly.

"I'm… I feel funny." Alice spoke up, frowning as she adjusted her body some. "What's wrong with me?"

Edward was hesitant, "Well, you see—"

"It's me," he spoke up again, not wanting Edward to have to make any excuses. If the girl had caught on to his gift, it wouldn't stay a secret for long. And thinking from a logical perspective, if she found out later that he'd been manipulating her emotions without her knowledge, it wouldn't help his case at all.

Granted, he didn't exactly know what he'd done—or had yet to do, in Alice's mind—but he had a feeling he'd been traversing across thin ice very, very soon.

He glanced toward Carlisle, who was quickly reigning in his shock over the entire situation he'd stumbled across. The one thing that solidified his resolve was the reassuring trust he could see in the man's golden eyes. Despite the situation (and the accusation) he knew that he was amongst allies.

"I can sense and manipulate emotion."

"Oh," she seemed only mildly surprised at the information, but her surprise comforted him slightly. Her not knowing his gift was a good thing, he supposed, despite her resilient disdain for him. Still, she'd been able to detect that something was awry with her feelings, something not many people could do without prior knowledge of his ability. "Oh," she repeated, her eyes quickly finding and then leaving his own.

When she met eyes with Edward again it was apparent another silent conversation was happening. Especially as he began to nod periodically, much to his growing discomfort.

"Can we perhaps have this conversation out loud, please?" Rosalie voice her irritation quickly, and Jasper couldn't help but agree. He didn't understand what weird connection Edward seemed to have with this girl, but he didn't trust it, and he didn't trust _her_.

"And downstairs," Esme frowned, eyes glued to the nearly caved-in wall, "these walls need a bit of a break."

Carlisle nodded toward him, gesturing for him to follow, and he was all too ready to leave the now-occupied room. And even more eager to get to the bottom of whatever the hell was now happening.

It had been a long time since he'd had to directly deal with the consequences of who he once was. It seemed only fitting that he wasn't finished dealing with them yet. After all, he'd committed a century's worth of crime. More chaos amongst the peace only seemed appropriate.

"Yeah," Rosalie snipped as she followed him out into the hallway, "let's just have her knock down the dining room walls instead. Not like there aren't $10,000 paintings hung on every wall."

He would've smirked if the situation were any different. But as they walked further away from the room he could still feel Alice's fear potent throughout the entire wing of the house. In the back of his mind, her words replayed.

"_We aren't going to hurt you."_

"_He will. Jasper will."_

If this girl truly was some sort of psychic, then she had to be a bad one. Because treason was the last thing on his mind. And the first thing was how he didn't know what he was going to do.

"So," Emmett, broke the silence, amusement beginning to roll off of him. And of course it would be. Emmett always found humor at inappropriate times. "Twenty bucks she doesn't last the night."

He looked to Jasper then, gauging the blond's own emotions, and he simply shook his head.

He wasn't in the mood to take up any of Emmett's bets.

But he certainly hoped she'd elect to leave. It would for sure make all their lives easier. But as the pulsing pain in his head faded the farther they walked from the girl, he was only left with more worry.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys. Now that I REALLY have your attention, some things:

Welcome to The Death of Dusk. Where Edward had a 'Midnight Sun' to Bella's 'Twilight', this is Jasper's version of Call of the Night.

Again, this isn't the sequel I was talking about before. That is an entirely different project. Yes, the sequel is being worked on. No, it will not be posted anytime soon. (Probably.) And no, I don't have any idea when I'll begin posting. Likely when it's finished. And no, I don't know what that will happen yet, either. (BUT, if y'all get CotN that TwiFic Award, you'll absolutely get chapter one.)

This story will be updated at random as I work on the sequel. I'm not PLANNING on doing what SMeyer did and abandoning this, but this story is NOT a priority. If anything it's just a good, fun exercise to ensure I'm practicing writing my boy as well as I wrote my girl. So there is a chance you might get one chapter of this a month, and that's if you're lucky.

To sort of ~celebrate~ my TwiFic Nom I will be posting a couple more updates of this story this month, but beyond that, this fan fiction's future is up in the air, honestly. Am I using this fic as a way to get y'alls attention? Sure am! Do I want your attention to win that TwiFic Award? Sure do! Seriously: vote every day and all your dreams will come true.

Also, yes this chapter is embarrassingly unedited. Please point out mistakes or continuity errors if you want. And, like always, leave some reviews and favorites. Love you guys. And missed you, too!


	2. Chapter 2

He could _feel_ her approach before he could even hear it. Her terror wasn't as potent, but it was there. Still a lit flame, burning low and steady as opposed to brightly and painfully. As Bella escorted her down the stairs and toward their meeting place an acute humiliation filtered down to him.

At least she had the decency to feel some sort of embarrassment.

Now, all the girl had to do was apologize, explain herself, and then—hopefully—grab her bags and leave.

When Bella walked into the room, Alice closely at her side, all eyes were immediately on the tiny girl. And although he'd taken note of her small stature back in the hallway, now, as he sat in one of the wooden chairs, he couldn't help but marvel at how he was nearly eye-level with her standing form.

He shot Bella an unamused look when she sat the girl directly across from him. But of course Bella's eyes were already on Carlisle, who looked perhaps more shocked about the incident than anyone else. The girl's freakout must've been a sharp turn of events that Carlisle's last several hours with her couldn't have predicted; the man looked _tired_.

But when another small pulse of fear echoed from Alice's small form, Jasper felt his eyes involuntarily flicker toward her. She was staring intently at his hands.

Taking in a deep breath, Carlisle began. "I believe that we need to discuss everything that has happened tonight." His words drew Alice's attention from Jasper's hands, and now all he could feel was her unbridled embarrassment.

"Alice," Carlisle's voice was soft. Careful. "Now, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, but we want to try and understand what caused this. To try and understand you better."

Alice didn't reply at first, instead nodding. But after she sighed and silence followed, she forced out a quiet, "Okay."

"I understand there was an incident in the hallway just now." Carlisle paused and Jasper couldn't keep his eyes of off Emmett suddenly. It appeared they'd already gotten to the amusing part of this odd 'meeting,' because the man was about to erupt with laughter. "And in the den." A snicker escaped Emmett and Jasper watched as Rosalie kicked him under the table, rolling her eyes. "And in your room."

Emmett mouthed a 'what?' at his wife, still highly amused at the topic of conversation. Rosalie simply shook her head and turned her attention back at Alice before glaring daggers at the girl.

Alice only nodded. The mixture of fear and humiliation was a unique one. Her terror was still so potent that Jasper could hardly believe she was sitting there as calmly as she was. He didn't think twice about moving his hands into his lap, but the second he'd moved her fear spiked.

"Is it the scars?" Whether the immediate annoyance was Edward's or Rosalie's, Jasper had no clue. Even Esme seemed ready to shush the man. "Don't worry about that. Have you never seen a vampire with scars before?"

Oh, Emmett.

Rosalie and Edward—on the same page for a rare moment—took turns quickly berating him. Of course, that left Jasper feeling more annoyed. Sometimes they had a bit of a habit in making things a bigger deal then they truly were. In this case, Emmett's lack of a proper filter should have been the _least _of their worries.

Instead, the apparent psychic sitting across from him was supposed to be the main cause for concern.

When an emotion presented itself in Alice—one that Jasper used to be very familiar with—Jasper's concern began to mount as he watched Alice writhe with anxiety.

He wondered if she knew how obvious it was that she was avoiding his gaze.

Secretly, he hoped that her unease would quickly drive her from the house and out of their lives.

Now, Esme had chimed into their petty argument, scolding Emmett for his lack of tact in a much more gentle way. Edward, his own irritation growing, eventually spoke up.

"She has visions." The bickering ceased. "I guess premonitions of sorts."

Carlisle's face was alight with shock. "Is this true?" He turned toward Alice as he spoke. "You… see the future?"

No, of course she didn't. Jasper wanted to scoff at the idea. She'd accused him of what would be murder; treason, even. It was preposterous.

Alice remained silent. Edward spoke again, staring at her. "Yes," he translated.

"What? Can she not speak for herself?"

"She is on the verge of a panic attack," Edward snapped back at Rosalie. "I'm just trying to help sort this out?"

"Jasper?" Carlisle looked at him before gesturing toward Alice.

"No," she blurted out finally. "No, don't." Finally, she met his eyes. "I don't need that, please don't."

And Jasper was glad. He didn't want to calm this girl. He didn't even understand why Edward was willing to entertain her madness. Just let her panic and meltdown. Then she'd decline the position, sign her NDA, and be on with her life _away_from them.

"Alice," and Edward was irritating Jasper by still trying to convince her, "if it helps—"

"I said no!" She was pleading now. "I can't think straight if he's doing that. I need to be able to defend myself."

"What do you have to defend yourself from? You're safe here." Alice was shaking her head before Esme had even finished.

"No, it's fine." It made sense, too. Her first logical request. If she truly thought he was going to kill her then him using his ability on her would only make her trust him less. Not that he wanted her to trust him at this point, but he needed to proceed wisely now.

Still, he quietly hoped she would just up and leave.

"If it helps, I'll stop."

"But if you don't keep her calm how are we going to get a damn word out of her?"

"Well, threatening her with my ability isn't going to help her be less afraid of me," glaring at Rosalie, he felt as if a little bit of everyone's irritation was starting to get to him, too. Slowly, he inhaled. He needed to keep his head on straight right now. There was no time for petty back and forth.

"Just let Edward help." But Bella's placating words didn't do much. Because in the same moment that Jasper felt her fear reach a new peak, Edward was already moving.

"If you run I'll just catch you," the girl hadn't even moved but was frozen at the sight of Edward at her side, his hand on her shoulder, holding her in place. Both Carlisle and Rosalie went to stand in that moment, but Edward held a hand up toward them. "Your visions will only come in handy if I can't see them, too. I'm much harder to catch off guard."

He'd never seen Edward in such a bizarre state. Even his emotions were a bit out of wack. He exchanged a look with Bella, who merely frowned in reply. Even she had no idea what the urgency in her husband's tone was about. Truthfully, it was a bit frightening.

Within Jasper's own chest, a sinking feeling began to blossom.

"I'm not trying to threaten you into staying," Edward was just barely holding it together now, and even Jasper contemplated standing, "but it's important you visualize that premonition again. This is hardly about what happened tonight—"

"Are you joking?" Rosalie snapped, "She nearly put a hole in the wall! She knocked Jasper, of all people, straight onto his ass—"

Emmett was delighted to hear that. "She _what_?"

Edward reeled on them. "I'm trying to figure out why she's seeing visions of Maria! Her running in fear from that is pretty understandable."

There were several seconds that passed before Jasper felt his brain begin to function again. Because he was absolutely sure there was no way he'd heard what Edward had just said. He stared at the red-head, completely and utterly baffled, and let his words play through his head again and again and again.

It was Esme that eventually verbalized the only coherent thought he had.

"No…"

"_Fuck_," Emmett swore. Jasper seconded that sentiment, too.

"Maria?" And somehow, Alice's voice was full of confusion and wonder, speaking as if she'd never heard that name before in her life. "Is that who wants me dead?"

"Alice, I need you to show me the vision." Jasper couldn't focus. Even as Edward spoke to the girl, demanding her cooperation, everything in his peripheral felt fuzzy. Unreal. He'd said Maria. There was no way. There was no way. "I know it's scaring you, and I'm sorry. But this isn't just about you, or your fear, this is about something bigger. Lives are in danger because of that woman you keep picturing"—so she _didn't_ know who Maria was? How was that even _possible_?—"I need you to go through it."

Alice's eyes were already closed when Jasper managed to rip his gaze from Edward and onto her. _There_, he felt it again. The same strange fluttering of emotions. It was as if there was some sort of static element to them; they played in the background behind her main, more potent emotions. It was almost distracting how she could cycle through so much at once and yet still maintain that sense of fear and unease.

Edwards subsequent reaction left them scrambling for answers. He stood up fully, running his hands through his unruly hair, his eyes wide and his mouth left agape. Panic. Confusion. Anger. Shock.

"Edward," Carlisle moved closer but Bella was already at his side.

"What did you see?"

Edward ignored all of them, staring at Alice. Jasper had never seen the boy look at someone like that. There was fear and awe and terror all wrapped into one expression. "How accurate are your visions?" He demanded to know. "How often does something not come true?"

Alice's voice was robotic. "The future changes typically depending on the decisions a person makes." Then, that background emotional static, accompanied by a far-off look. After, she dove right in. "Rosalie is going to go work on her red car after this meeting, Emmett is going to sit and watch her work. I don't know what an injector is but you tell Emmett to go order one while you work." Her attention went from Rosalie to Edward. "You're going to talk to Carlisle and Esme is going to go take measurements of the wall to get it fixed. The contractors aren't open until eight but it's not going to stop her from starting the repairs herself. You're out of sandpaper and I don't know if you know this but your saw is broken."

Then, from Esme to Emmett. "I'm sorry about your shirt. I didn't know it was one of your favorites. And," she paused, and her hesitance was quickly pushed aside, "sorry about spoiling the surprise, but Rosalie orders a few of them for you a little after sunrise."

The genuine surprise from Rosalie forced Jasper's attention onto the blonde. She was quick to shield her shock with a swift glare and some potent annoyance, but if someone could guess _Rosalie's_ motives, and then take her off guard, that was absolutely something to take note of.

Jasper's stomach sank further the more the shock and surprise filled the room. They had to be guesses. They _had_ to be. This girl couldn't be for real. Because if she was than that meant her fear of him was warranted.

This was fucking ridiculous.

"Thanks baby," Emmett grinned at Rosalie. "You're always taking care of me."

"But," and like everyone, Esme was struggling to understand. "All of those can change? I mean, I can decide to do something else, right?" Esme asked, curious.

"Exactly," Alice nodded curtly, easing up as the room began to both understand and believe her. "Those are just some random examples. Visions can typically change based on a person's plans but…"

"But you've had this vision every day." Edward's tone was grim. "It's never changed."

"What is the vision?" Even though Carlisle's voice was gentle, Alice's emotion's went haywire. "Alice, I need you to understand that we're not going to hurt you."

"I know you aren't," and Jasper could already feel where this was going. Her eyes just barely flickered toward him before shooting back toward Carlisle and then back at her own hands.

_Edward, _he called out to the boy. He didn't want to hear it. This had gone on long enough.

But Edward ignored him, turned toward Carlisle, squared his shoulders, and began to speak.

"In the vision it's dark and it's nighttime. They're in a clearing…. Alice and Jasper."

_Stop, _he demanded again, despite deep down knowing it was futile. _Edward, enough_.

"There's fire all around and it's clear that vampires have been killed—the smell, it's… the vision is so lucid." He shook his head and Jasper hated how genuine the disbelief was. "Maria is there." _Impossible, _Jasper thought loudly, _this is no vision. She is dead._

Thinking that Edward was finally responding to his loud thoughts, Jasper met his eyes when he lifted his head. But even he couldn't anticipate what he was about to say.

_Just say it. _He demanded, unable to let his mind come to any further conclusions anymore. _What Edward? What?_

"She tells you to kill her, Jasper. Then you lunge at Alice." Silence again. "That's it. The vision ends there."

_Bullshit_, Jasper's mental response was immediate. _She's lying. This is a lie. This isn't real._

Jasper ignored the gazes of his fellow Protectors, instead focused solely on Edward, trying to see where the boy could've been wrong. Because it was wrong. All of it was. Maria was dead.

They had _told_ him that Maria was dead.

"There's no way," he eventually spoke, shaking his head with every bit of confidence he felt in that moment. "Are you sure it's not a memory? I don't recognize her but that doesn't mean I didn't attack her years ago." That's the only valid reason Edward could be seeing anything of the sort. But even if it were a memory, Maria had never sent him one-on-one up against a lone opponent.

He stared at Alice then, trying to picture her with longer hair, different-colored eyes, even a human flush in her cheeks. But no amount of visualizing could help fit this jagged puzzle piece anywhere in his extensive memory. He didn't know her.

"Alice, what year were you turned?"

She stared at Carlisle, nearly shaking with her fear. "1971."

"_Fuck_," Emmett muttered again.

"That's impossible. Maria is supposed to be dead." He looked from Edward—who was now pointedly avoiding his eyes—to Carlisle. "She's supposed to be dead," he enunciated every word.

What part of that sentence did no one understand? Their confirmation of her demise should have been swift and timely. The fact that they were all collectively letting this go on this long was a mockery of him. They should've been able to shut this girl down with a shake of their heads and a patronizing pat on the back. Maria was dead. _Maria was supposed to be dead_.

Rosalie was the only one brave enough to chime in. Her voice was even. "She went down in a ball of flames with forty-four other vampires." But Jasper could feel her confidence in this statement waver. Her own confusion extinguishing it as she stared between Carlisle and Alice. "It had to have been her. I saw it myself."

"And you were positive it was her?" He snapped, hating the way Rosalie flinched, her eyes finding his quickly. "Fifty-four years have passed. You had to have been positive."

"Jasper—"

"No." He cut Carlisle off swiftly. He wasn't about to entertain this anymore. "No. I need access to those files. It's been long enough, I've proven myself. Let me see them."

Esme's remark overpowered Carlisle's long sigh. "I can sign off on it after this."

_She was supposed to be dead,_ he stared Edward down in front of everyone. _Everyone, absolutely everyone promised me she was dead and gone. And it was all told to me on an assumption?_

"It's impossible that whatever she's seeing is a vision of my future." He turned toward Alice then, irritated at her as she flinched back from his gaze. How dare she. _She_ was the one accusing him of something horrendous. She should be ashamed of herself, not scared of him. _No_, a little voice in his head assured him, _let her be scared of you._ "You said it yourself. Your visions depend on people's decisions. I haven't decided anything remotely close to that, nor would I ever."

He had to bite his tongue then. Yelling at the girl wouldn't help him at all. In fact, he had a wretched feeling that nothing he said at all now would help him. This girl—this awful, terrible woman—had shown up, cried and whimpered, and officially accused him of something foul.

And the worse part was that he could feel all of his fellow Protectors nerves growing. Because they were _believing_ her.

It was maddening.

"Listen, I know you don't know me." What could he even say that would do damage control; he hadn't even done anything wrong. Still. The need to say something that would turn anything in his favor was imperative right now. This girl had set a delicate game before him, and now he had to play around her. "But I'm not going to hurt you. I mean that. If you decide to stay—" and god did he pray that she wouldn't—"you'll be safe." But if she did stay… he had to figure out a way to get her on his side. Rule number one: make allies of your enemies. It was the key to self-preservation under inescapable circumstances.

(Maria had taught him that.)

"I've been away from Maria for longer than you've been alive. I'd rather die before serving under her again." And he meant it. Ripping his eyes away from her he found himself despising the emotional climate of the room. If he couldn't sway the tides and get his coworkers to believe him over her, there wasn't much more he could say. "This visions has to be a fluke. Because there's no way that's going to ever happen again."

What Jasper didn't expect, was for Alice to chime in almost _immediately_.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, her panic freezing him on the spot. "I'm so, so sorry Jasper. I'm not trying to accuse you of anything. I—I woke up in this life almost forty-eight years ago—no memories of anything—and the first vision I ever saw was you." Her guilt felt suffocating. "It was your face and I know about the scars and that's not what I'm scared of so I'm sorry about my reaction because they really don't bother me anymore—to be honest they haven't bothered me in years. But in the vision the woman whispers in your ear and I can tell she wants me dead but you're the one who lunges and—" she inhaled deeply, and kept going, "and it's strange because it _is_ you but it doesn't look like you. I mean, your eyes are black and you look so angry but I mean," lifting a hand she gestured to him, as if that emphasized her point; but still, she stared at the table in front of him, as if she couldn't bear to actually look at him.

"You're clearly not angry—well, I hope I'm not _making_ you angry I'm just trying to explain myself but I really don't know what else to say other than I'm sorry that I'm afraid of you and I—I mean! Maybe you really haven't decided to kill me and I just look like a lunatic right now but I've seen this vision every day of my life for almost fifty years now and it's never once changed and—and maybe I'm interpreting it wrong or there's a flaw in my brain but I really, really, really don't want you to kill me."

Her mouth snapped shut with an audible noise. Quickly she buried her hands further into her lap, lowing her eyes even further away from him as she sat there nervously, for some reason adamant that he believe her.

It was… confusing, Jasper had to admit.

"You don't have a single memory from your human life?" Rosalie muttered incredulously. And Jasper had to admit, he'd never heard of such a thing. It absolutely didn't grant her any more credibility. So if it was a lie, really it was only making her story seem more implausible.

"Not a single one," Alice shook her head softly. "I didn't realize that I was a vampire until a couple years into my life. I just thought drinking blood was normal for… whatever it was that I was."

But Jasper was stuck on one, horrible detail of her ramblings.

"You saw me every day, in a strange vision, trying to kill you."

He knew—Jasper was aware every _day_—that there were people out there who hated him. People out there who feared him. Both for what he'd done and who he'd been as well as for what he could potentially still be and still do. He understood that fully. It was fair.

But he'd tried. He'd worked so hard every day for weeks and months and years and decades, to make up for his crimes. What more could he do, than dedicate the rest of his life to the protection of peace in this world that he once swore to destroy? The people of the Americas had his word. His fellow _Protectors_ had his word. Did they not know how important that was? How _powerful_ of a thing that was for him?

Yes, he knew his loyalties would always be scrutinized but he figured these people—this group that he'd worked and hunted and lived alongside for the past several decades—would know without question that he was a loyal man. A man of his word.

The emotional climate in the room was like one harsh slap to the face.

Because there was unease. There was anxiety. There was fear. And most of it was directed at him.

He focused on Alice again. Because now, her fear was the only fear he could tolerate. The only emotion he could fully understand. Hers made sense. Hers wasn't a betrayal. But still, no matter how little he cared about this tiny woman. It _hurt_.

"Every day." She confirmed quietly.

And like that, Jasper felt his very belonging in the house shift. This changed everything.

Standing up, he turned toward the direction of the stairs.

"Jasper—"

"I need," he cut Esme off swiftly, not looking toward her. Not looking toward any of them. "I need some space."

Quickly, he was gone. At first he almost fled the house entirely, but before he could make it halfway toward the den he decided against it. It would do him no good to wallow in any type of anger or frustration. Instead, if he wanted to truly help his own situation, he needed to get to work.

Because if Maria was back, he needed to be the one to shut this entire thing down. He _had_ to.

But even as he flew down the stairs and into the library, and even as his desk came into view, he couldn't focus. All he could think about was the harbinger of doom that was currently being coddled upstairs.

This tiny, infuriating woman who seemed to make it her personal mission to ruin whatever chance of peace he had going for him there.

There were one of two things happening right now.

Either this girl was a very, very good actress; a liar so proficient that even Edward was falling victim to whatever light shows she was putting on for him in her mind—imaginative beyond belief, he could call her. Or, this girl was the real deal and she was there with nothing more than innocent ignorance and a warning of terror for them.

Jasper couldn't even decide which option would be preferable.

Perhaps the idea that she was faking it. He could handle messy politics. He'd dealt with everything thrown at him up until this point. If she was some type of mole, there to finally rid every ounce of Maria's former influence from this world, he could both understand and even empathize with that. That empathy—literal and figurative—would absolutely give him the upper hand.

He'd somehow convinced his fellow Protectors over the years (not convinced, he mentally berated himself, _proved_) that the wasn't some deviant set on destroying their livelihoods. Well. Not after he'd joined them. Surely, if he could ally himself with a group of people he'd physically tried to kill, he could win over one random woman.

Granted she wasn't just any woman. She was apparently a seer.

Jasper suppressed a groan at that. Because if she was the real deal, then suddenly there would be two vampires in the house with psychic abilities. And Edward's were insufferable enough.

Sitting himself low in his desk chair, he let out a low breath of air, running his hands down his face as he shook his head.

There was no way this was going to end well for him.


End file.
